Nance Road widening needed to meet development demands, city official says

File photoHUNTSVILLE, AL - Herb Hoppmeyer of Monrovia uses Nance Road every day, but that hasn't stopped him from questioning why the city is doing so much work on the road.

He said that Nance Road is a limited road that for all purposes just goes to Wall Farms subdivision. He said there's nothing on the road between U.S. 72 and McCrary Road except one home and open fields.

"Why waste that much money on Nance when the two main north-south roads of Jeff (Road) and Wall Triana (Highway) carry most of the traffic and are in sore need of widening?" Hoppmeyer asked.

About two weeks ago, the city closed Nance Road from U.S. 72 to just north of McCrary Road to widen it to five lanes at a cost of about $43.2 million.

Hoppmeyer said closing Nance will make driving on Jeff Road and Wall Triana Highway "miserable" for the next year.

City Engineer Shane Davis said the city is widening Nance Road and improving the intersection at U.S. 72 to handle increased traffic from development in the area. More growth is expected, he said.

"Upon the completion of the project, Nance Road will provide an improved alternative to Wall Triana Highway and Jeff Road," Davis said.

The project is expected to be completed late this year, he said.

The city also plans to widen Jeff Road to five lanes from U.S. 72 north to the city limits, Davis said. The design plans are complete and the city is acquiring right of way, he said.

Construction is expected to begin in the new few months at a cost of $2.35 million.

Chicamauga rough spotsA couple of rough spots on Chicamauga Trail off Mountain Gap Road has Marjorie Mendenhall asking which city department to contact about fixing the problems.

She said there's a rough spot with gravel in the southbound lane in the 12200 block, and an area in the southbound lane in the 12000 block that appears as if someone used a jack hammer on half of the speed hump.

"It is so rough you have to carefully move and drive on the other side of the street, traffic permitting," Mendenhall said.